Form, fill and seal bag machines are configured to form packages of different shapes and sizes. Typically, the machine, in sequence, forms a tube from a roll of film and fills the tube with a product, for example a food product. A cross seal mechanism sequentially makes a cross seal, which simultaneously forms a top seal of one bag and a bottom seal of an immediately adjacent bag, such that the latter bag may be filled with the product. The cross seal is then cut to separate the bags.
Typically, form, fill and seal machines may run intermittently, wherein the formed bag is momentarily stopped for sealing and/or cutting, or continuously, wherein the sealing jaws and cutting knife travel with the formed bag to form the seal and separate the bags. Often, both types of machines may be set up such that the sealing jaws are oriented in specific configuration relative to a forming tube and vertical sealer. As such, the machines are limited in the type of bags that may be produced.
In other machines, the sealing jaws may be oriented in different configurations. Typically, however, the conversion between different configurations may be extremely labor intensive and time consuming, thereby leading to extended downtimes between bag changeovers.